Low crosstalk card edge connector

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a first set of conductors, a first overmolding in physical contact with a body portion of each of the first set of conductors, a second set of conductors, a second overmolding in physical contact with the body portion of each of the second set of conductors, and a spacer in contact with the first overmolding and the second overmolding. A gap is present between the spacer and at least one of the first set of conductors and a gap between the spacer and at least one of the second set of conductors.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electrical connector comprising:
 an insulative housing comprising a slot bound by a first wall and a second wall of the insulative housing; 
 a plurality of conductors, disposed within the slot, arranged in a first row of the plurality of conductors along the first wall of the insulative housing and a second row of the plurality of conductors along the second wall of the insulative housing, each of the plurality of conductors comprising a tip portion, a tail portion, a contact portion disposed between the tail portion and the tip portion, and a body portion disposed between the tail portion and the contact portion; 
 a first overmolding in physical contact with ones of the plurality of conductors in the first row; and 
 a second overmolding in physical contact with ones of the plurality of conductors in the second row, 
 wherein:
 the insulative housing comprises a plurality of channels that extend through the first and second walls of the insulative housing; and 
 the tip portions of the plurality of conductors extend into the channels. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electrical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the body portions of the plurality of conductors have a first thickness and the tip portions of the plurality of connectors have a second thickness less than the first thickness. 
     
     
       3. The electrical connector of  claim 2 , wherein the tip portions are coined. 
     
     
       4. The electrical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductors comprises a plurality of groups of three conductors, wherein each group of three conductors comprises:
 a ground conductor having a first shape; 
 a first signal conductor having a second shape different from the first shape; and 
 a second signal conductor having a third shape different from the first shape. 
 
     
     
       5. The electrical connector of  claim 4 , wherein the second shape is a mirror image of the third shape. 
     
     
       6. The electrical connector of  claim 4 , wherein:
 each of the plurality of groups of three conductors are positioned such that a distal end of the tip portion of the ground conductor is a first distance from a distal end of the tip portion of the first signal conductor and a distal end of the tip portion of the first signal conductor is a second distance from a distal end of the tip portion of the second signal conductor, wherein the first distance is equal to the second distance; and 
 each of the plurality of groups of three conductors are positioned such that the contact portion of the ground conductor is a third distance from the contact portion of the first signal conductor and the contact portion of the first signal conductor is a fourth distance from the contact portion of the second signal conductor, wherein the third distance is equal to the fourth distance. 
 
     
     
       7. The electrical connector of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of conductors comprise a first region in which:
 the body portions of the first conductor and the second conductor of each group of the plurality of groups have a same first width; 
 the ground conductor of the group has a second width, greater than the first width, and 
 edge-to-edge separation between the first conductor and the second conductor and between the second conductor and the ground conductor is the same. 
 
     
     
       8. The electrical connector of  claim 4 , wherein the body portions of the conductors comprise a wide portion and a thin portion. 
     
     
       9. The electrical connector of  claim 8 , wherein the body portions of the conductors comprise tapered portions between the wide and thin portions. 
     
     
       10. The electrical connector of  claim 9 , wherein the tapered portions of the first and second signal conductors comprise first tapered portions on first sides of the first and second signal conductors and second tapered portions on second sides of the first and second signal conductors, and one of the first or second tapered portions is more tapered than the other. 
     
     
       11. The electrical connector of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the first overmolding is in physical contact with a thin portion of the body portion of each of the plurality of conductors in the first row; and 
 the first overmolding comprises one or more openings that expose portions of the plurality of conductors in the first row to air. 
 
     
     
       12. The electrical connector of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the one or more openings expose the ground conductors of the plurality of conductors in the first row to air at a first location along the length of the ground conductors without exposing the first signal conductors or the second signal conductors to air at a second location along the length of the first signal conductors and second signal conductors that corresponds to the first location. 
 
     
     
       13. The electrical connector of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the one or more openings expose two conductors of the groups of three conductors of the plurality of conductors in the first row to air at a first location along the length of the ground conductors without exposing the remaining signal conductors to air at a second location along the length of the remaining signal conductors that corresponds to the first location. 
 
     
     
       14. The electrical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the first overmolding and the second overmolding comprise one or more protrusions which protrude from the overmolding in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the respective first row or second row is aligned. 
     
     
       15. The electrical connector of  claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of conductors in the first row is opposed by a respective conductor of the plurality of conductors in the second row. 
     
     
       16. The electrical connector of  claim 15 , wherein the protrusions of the first and second overmoldings are configured to be inserted into one or more grooves such that, when the first and second overmolding are assembled, each of the plurality of conductors in the first row is opposed by a respective conductor of the plurality of conductors in the second row. 
     
     
       17. The electrical connector of  claim 16 , wherein the first and second overmolding are assembled with a spacer, comprising the one or more grooves, in between the first and second overmoldings. 
     
     
       18. The electrical connector of  claim 17 , wherein the spacer comprises one or more spacer openings configured to create air gaps between the spacer and conductors. 
     
     
       19. The electrical connector of  claim 17 , wherein the spacer comprises one or more ribs configured to hold conductors of the plurality of conductors in place relative to each other and relative to the spacer. 
     
     
       20. The electrical connector of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a second slot bound by the first and second walls of the housing; 
 a second plurality of conductors disposed within the second slot, wherein the second plurality of conductors includes fewer conductors than the plurality of conductors.